The Palestine Chronology

The IDF eases the closures on Bethlehem and Jericho, allowing goods in and out; continues operations in Nablus; continues curfews on Hebron, Jenin, Nablus; fatally shoots a Palestinian who allegedly attempts to stab a soldier in Bethlehem; conducts arrest raids in Hebron, Jenin, Nablus, Qalqilya, Ramallah (searching Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine [PFLP] offices); demolishes 1 Palestinian home nr. Jenin. Israeli police arrest 4 bedouin, 1 Palestinian laborer fr. Hebron in a village in the Negev on charges of setting up a Hamas cell. In Ramallah, 100s of Palestinians protest against PA PM Mahmud Abbas’s government. Palestinians fire a Qassam rocket into the Negev, causing nodamage or injuries. Late in the evening, Palestinians fire 13 mortars, 2 anti-tank rockets at Jewish settlements, IDF posts in Gaza, causing nodamage or injuries. (HA, MM 8/27; HA, PCHR 8/28)

The IDF demolishes 4 Palestinian homes in Rafah, 3 in Yatta; conducts arrest raids in Jenin. In Jerusalem, some 20,000 Jewish settlers demonstrate against the Aqaba summit. Palestinians fire a mortar at a Jewish settlement, a rocket at an IDF post, both in Gaza, causing no damage or injuries. In a move deliberately timed with the Aqaba summit, Tourism M Benny Elon begins work to set up offices of the pro-transfer Moledet party in 1 of the 2 Palestinian homes next to the U.S. consulate in East Jerusalem’s Shaykh Jarrah neighborhood that Jewish settlers have been trying to seize for 1 yr. (see 4/27/03). (JP 6/4 in WNC 6/7; HA, MM, NYT, PCHR, WP, WT 6/5; PCHR 6/12; PR 6/25)

In Aqaba, Bush meets with Abbas, Sharon, King Abdallah; then meets with Abbas, Sharon only. Afterward, Abbas and Sharon each give carefully worded statements reiterating their commitments to peace. (HA, MM 6/4; Interfax, ITAR-TASS, JT, MENA, QA, SA 6/4 in WNC 6/7; HA, MM, NYT, WP, WT 6/5; DUS, JP, JT, MA, MENA, NHR, QA, al-Quds, al-Ra’i, SA, SFR, Star, YA 6/5 in WNC 6/8; al-Quds 6/5, DUS 6/6 in WNC 6/10; MM 6/6; THWR , TSHR 6/7 in WNC 7/11; JPI 6/13; PR 6/18; JPI 6/20)